Join free

reserve

English · Español · Français · Deutsch · Português · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

reserve¹

  • /ɹɪˈzɝv/ US
  • /ɹɪˈzɜːv/ UK

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)v

Where it comes from

From Old French reserver, from Latin reservō (“to reserve, retain”).

noun reserves

  1. countable, uncountable The act of reserving or keeping back; reservation; exception. The book is on reserve.
  2. countable, uncountable Restraint of freedom in words or actions; backwardness; caution in personal behavior.

    Similar: self-restraint, reticence, taciturnity

  3. countable, uncountable A natural resource known to exist but not currently exploited. New oil reserves are continuously being discovered, but not as fast as the existing ones are running out.
  4. countable, uncountable A tract of land reserved, or set apart, for a particular purpose the Connecticut Reserve in Ohio was originally set apart for the school fund of Connecticut.
  5. Canada, countable, uncountable A tract of land set apart for the use of an Aboriginal group: Indian reserve.

    Similar: reservation, res, rez

  6. countable, uncountable A body of troops kept in the rear of an army drawn up for battle, reserved to support the other lines as occasion may require; a force or body of troops kept for an exigency. no reserves [the military force is throwing everything it has at the front]

    Similar: Army Reserve

  7. countable, uncountable Funds kept on hand to meet planned or unplanned financial requirements. The tone was set at Trump’s Inauguration. Tech moguls streamed into Washington; some sat behind the President during his Inaugural Address, a signal of the power they would wield. Over the next 11 months, they would use their enormous cash reserves, cultural power, and momentum to push their product
  8. countable, uncountable A reserve price in an auction. no reserve [the lot(s) will be sold no matter how low the bids are]
  9. countable, uncountable Wine held back and aged before being sold.
  10. countable, uncountable Absence of color or decoration; the state of being left plain. Each is decorated with a simple disk in reserve and a band in reserve adorned with white dots.
  11. countable, uncountable A member of a team who does not participate from the start of the game, but can be used to replace tired or injured team-mates.

    Similar: substitute

  12. countable, uncountable A group or pile of cards dealt out at the beginning of a patience or solitaire game to be used during play.
  13. countable, uncountable In exhibitions, a distinction indicating that the recipient will get a prize in the event of another person being disqualified.
  14. countable, uncountable A resist.
  15. countable, uncountable A preparation used on an object being electroplated to fix the limits of the deposit.

Similar: Territorial Army, TA, TAVR, territorials, terriers, reservists

verb reserves · reserving · reserved

  1. transitive To keep back; to retain. We reserve the right to make modifications.

    Similar: hold

  2. ditransitive, transitive To keep in store for future or special use. This cake is reserved for the guests!

    Similar: hold, save

  3. ditransitive, transitive To book in advance; to make a reservation for. I reserved a table for us at the best restaurant in town.

    Similar: sign up for, register for, schedule, enroll in, book

  4. obsolete, transitive To make an exception of; to except.

Reserve²

proper noun

  1. A city in Kansas.
  2. A census-designated place in Louisiana.
  3. A census-designated place in Montana.
  4. A village, the county seat of Catron County, New Mexico.
  5. A census-designated place in Wisconsin.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: set aside, retain, allow, substitute, stockpile, hold, appropriate, reticence, modesty, spare, taciturnity, inactive, nonoperational, book, unneeded, unnecessary

noun

Similar: Territorial Army, TA, TAVR, territorials, terriers, reservists

Translations

Every language

noun that which is reserved or kept back, as for future use

Españolreserva
한국어예비 yebi, 비축 bichuk
日本語予備 yobi, 備蓄 bichiku
中文儲備 /储备 chǔbèi, 後備 /后备 hòubèi, 貯備 /贮备 zhùbèi
Portuguêsreserva
Françaisréserves
DeutschReserve
Русскийзапа́с zapás, резе́рв rezérv
العربيةاِحْتِيَاط iḥtiyāṭ, ذَخِيرَة ḏaḵīra

noun the act of reserving or keeping back; reservation

한국어예약 yeyak, 비축 bichuk
日本語予約 yoyaku
Portuguêsreserva
Françaisréservation
DeutschReservieren, Bedenken, Vorbehalt
Ελληνικάεπιφύλαξη epifýlaxi
Русскийзапаса́ние zapasánije, резерви́рование rezervírovanije

noun restraint of freedom in words or actions

日本語自制 jisei, 控えめ hikaeme
Françaisréserve
DeutschReserviertheit
Русскийсде́ржанность sdéržannostʹ

noun known unexploited natural resource

中文保護區 /保护区 bǎohùqū
Portuguêsreserva
Françaisréserve
DeutschSchutzgebiet, Naturreservat
Русскийзапа́сы zapásy

noun tract of land reserved, or set apart, for a particular purpose

한국어보호구 bohogu
日本語保護区 hogoku
中文保護區 /保护区 bǎohùqū
Portuguêsreserva
Русскийзапо́ведник zapóvednik, резерва́ция rezervácija

noun tract of land reserved for Aboriginal people

한국어보호구 bohogu, 거류지 georyuji
日本語保護区 hogoku, 居留地 kyoryūchi
中文保留地 bǎoliúdì
Portuguêsreserva
Françaisréserve
DeutschReservat, Reservation
Русскийрезерва́ция rezervácija

noun military: body of troops in the rear of an army

한국어예비대 yebidae, 예비역 yebiyeok
日本語予備兵力 yobi heiryoku, 予備役 yobieki
中文預備役 /预备役 yùbèiyì
Portuguêsreserva
Françaisréserve
DeutschReserve
Русскийзапа́с zapás, резе́рв rezérv
עבריתמִלּוּאִים miluím

noun finance: funds kept on hand

日本語準備金 jyunbikin, 引当金 hikiatekin
Portuguêsreserva
DeutschReserve
Ελληνικάαποθεματικό apothematikó
Русскийрезе́рвный фонд rezérvnyj fond

noun sports: reserve player

日本語控え hikae, 補欠 hoketsu
Portuguêsreserva
Françaisremplaçant
Русскийзапасно́й игро́к zapasnój igrók, запасно́й zapasnój

verb to keep back; to retain

Españolreservar
日本語残す nokosu, 留保する ryūho suru
中文保留 bǎoliú
Portuguêsreservar
Deutschvorbehalten
Русскийрезерви́ровать rezervírovatʹ, зарезерви́ровать zarezervírovatʹ, оставля́ть за собо́й ostavljátʹ za sobój
Tiếng Việtgiữ lại, bảo lưu

verb to keep in store for future or special use

Españolreservar
日本語蓄える takuwaeru
Portuguêsreservar
Deutschvorbehalten, reservieren
Русскийзапаса́ть zapasátʹ, запасти́ zapastí, откла́дывать otkládyvatʹ, отложи́ть otložítʹ
Tiếng Việtphòng bị, để dành

verb to book in advance

Españolreservar
한국어예약(豫約)하다 yeyakhada
日本語予約する yoyaku suru
中文預訂 /预订 yùdìng
Portuguêsreservar
Françaisréserver
Deutschreservieren, buchen, vormerken
Русскийрезерви́ровать rezervírovatʹ, зарезерви́ровать zarezervírovatʹ, брони́ровать bronírovatʹ, заброни́ровать zabronírovatʹ, зака́зывать zakázyvatʹ, заказа́ть zakazátʹ
Tiếng Việtđặt trước
العربيةحَجَزَ ḥajaza

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"reserve." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/reserve. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

reserve. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/reserve

Chicago

"reserve." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/reserve.

BibTeX
@misc{reserve_2026,
  title = {reserve},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/reserve},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}